Journal box lid



H. J. HORN I 2,197,472

JOURNAL BOX LID Filed Feb. 25, 1938 INVENTOR HA'EE) J HOE/V ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1940 ZJWAYZ' FllQE JOURNAL BOX LID Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich, assignor to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich, a corpora ti on of Michigan Application February 25, 1938, Serial No. 192,463

5 Claims.

This invention relates to railway car journal boxes, and more particularly to hinged lids therefor which are adapted to be held in either open or closed position by the action of a spring.

It is an object of this invention to provide a journal. box lid which can be manufactured practically entirely from sheet metal stampings, thereby making a light and inexpensive device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure that will completely house the coil spring, thereby protecting it from the elements and mechanical injury.

Another object is to provide a construction which eliminates the necessity of using a lever for engagement with the hinge lug.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel gasket for sealing the space between the lid and the journal box when the lid is in closed position.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent in the'following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts in the several views. In the drawing:

Figure l. is a front elevational view of a journal box lid embodying ray-invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to a portion of Figure 2 but showing a clamp for holding the spring in compressed position;

Figure 4 is anenlarged fragmentary crosssectional view taken on substantially the line llof Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the improved casting; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on substantially the line t6 of Figure 5.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral ill designates a portion of the journal box which is shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. At the upper end of the journal box and substantially equi'distant between the lateral edges is a hinge lug l! of a configuration shown in Figure 2 having an opening 52 for the reception of a hinge pintle. (3.

A hood it which is substantially rectangular in plan is stamped froma single sheet of metal. It has a peripheral flange l5 extending substantially normal. to the plane of the hood. Near the upper end of the hood the flange i5 is extended to form a pair of ears 3 which are perforated to receive the hinge pintle I3. The ears soc-47) l embrace the ends of the hinge lug H, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The pintle i3 is reduced in diameter near each end to form a pair of shoulders i! which prevent removal of the pintle 13 after it has been placed in position. The largest diameter of the pintle I3 is of a size to just pass through the opening l2, and once it is in place the pintle drops slightly so that the shoulders l? engage the ears Hi to hold it in place. If desired, in addition to the shoulders, a'washer l8 and cotter pin l9 may be used to prevent any possibility of accidental removal of the pintle.

The hood M is provided with an aperture adjacent its upper end in which is inserted a cup member 2!. The cup member. M has a peripheral flange 22 at its open end. The cup member is inserted in the opening 28 with the flange 22 seated against the inner face of the hood M and the cup member fits tightly enough in the opening it! to prevent accidental displacement. It will be noted that the junction between the fiange 2'2 and the cup member M is not a sharp corner but is formed by a rounded fillet 22a. It is so shaped in order. to :prevent breaking or tearing the metal of the cup member '22 when the latter is drawn by the dies in which it is made. In order that the metal of the hood M at the inner edge of the opening 29 will not strike the fillet 22a and thereby prevent the flange 22 from seating against the inner surface of'the hood i l, the latter is relieved slightly around the opening 28. This is done by pressing the metal around the opening 29 outwardly to form a rib Ella. The rib 231a is increased in width at Zia for a purpose which will appear later. Within the cup member ii is a plunger 23 which is also cup-shaped. Its open end is inserted in the cup member 2! whereby the two parts together form a completely closed hollow telescoping cylinder. A coiled spring 24 is placed within the cup member 2! and the plunger 23 and is held under considerable stress when the lid is mounted in position.

The cover 25 for the opening in the journal box it is preferably formed from a single metal stamping which is provided with a groove 250. formed by a peripheral flange 2'! and a rib 28. The rib 26 extends completely around the cover, but the flange 2'5 is cut away at 29 to allow passage of the ears IE of the hood. The flange 27 has a plurality of projections 36 which may be struck therefrom so that they extend out over the bottom of the groove 25a but are spaced therefrom.

The cover 25 is attached to the hood l4 adjacent the lower end of the latter by means of a pin 26. As will be noted particularly in Figure 2, the pin 26 has an enlarged head 26a and a reduced portion 26b. The latter is inserted in an opening in the center of the cover and peened over to secure it in place. The head 28a of the pin 26 is large enough to prevent removal thereof from a hole in the hood, but the pin fits loosely enough in said hole to allow a slight amount of universal movement of the cover with respect to the hood. This allows the cover to adjust itself on the journal box to compensate for any inaccuracies in alignment of the journal box and cover.

Seated in the groove 25a in the cover 25 is a gasket 3! for sealing the space between the cover and the journal box. This gasket is shown specifically in Figures 5 and 6, Figure 5 showing but one-half of the gasket, as both halves are identical. The gasket 3| consists of a ring-shaped retainer 32 which may be made of any resilient material, but is preferably made of metal, and the sealing material 36. The retainer 32 has a flange 33 extending along the ends and portions of the top and bottom edges. This flange is proit with a new one.

vided with a plurality of protuberances 34 so placed that they will snap over the projections 30 in the flange 21 of the cover 25 to hold the retainer in the groove. Adjacent each of the protuberances 34 the retainer 32 is slotted as at 35 in order to increase the resiliency of the flange 33. The inner face of the retainer 32 is covered with suitable sealing material 36, such as asbestos or compositions of cork, rubber, or the like. The sealing material may be vulcanized, riveted or cemented in place, or it may be in the form of a continuous U-shaped ring, as shown, of sufficient resiliency that it may be placed over the inner edge of the metal retainer ring 32 and be held in place by its own resiliency.

This gasket provides a good seal between the cover 25 and the edge of the opening in the journal box Ill. Also, the gasket may be readily removed if in time it becomes necessary to replace Although the gasket is intended to be replaced as a unit, the old sealing material can readily be stripped from the metal retainer ring 32 and replaced by a new sealing element.

Although the gasket herein disclosed is particularly adapted for use with a journal box lid, it will be obvious that it is capable of application to a variety of other types of closures. Also, it will be evident that it need not necessarily be rectangular, but may take a variety of other shapes. The term ring-shaped is therefore to be taken as meaning any continuous frame having a central opening.

Figure 3 shows the clamping means for holding the coiled spring 24 in compressed position in order that the lid may be readily removed from the journal box. The clamp 40 consists of a U-shaped metal bar. It is adapted to be mounted over peripheral flange I5, as shown in Figure 3, with one leg 42 engaging the outer face of the hood and the other leg 4| engaging the closed end of the plunger 23. The leg 42 is preferably bifurcated to straddle the cup member 2|,

" I and the bifurcations rest on the wide portions 21a of the rib 20a previously described. The wide portions 2|a of the rib provide a better support for the leg 42 of the clamp than would be had if they were dispensed with.

It will be noted from Figures 2 and 3 that the hinge lug H is wedge shaped in cross-section, having a pair of opposite faces 31 and 38 arranged at an acute angle to each other. When the lid is in its closed position, shown in Figure 2, the plunger 23 is forced against the face 31 of the hinge lug II by the spring 24, thereby holding the lid in its operative position. When the lid is. opened the plunger 23 moves around to engage the opposite face 38 of the hinge lug. Here the spring pressure acts in the opposite direction to hold the lid open. In its intermediate position over the point 39 of the lug, the spring 24 is compressed to a greater extent than it is when in either its closed or opened positions. To remove the lid it' is necessary only to swing it to a position wherein the plunger rests against the point 39 of the hinge lug and then place the clamp 40 over the upper portion of the flange l5, as shown in Figure 3, at which time the leg 4! of the clamp 40 engages the end of the plunger 23, thereby holding it with the spring 24 partly compressed. If the lid is then rotated back to its closed position, the end of the plunger 23 will be spaced from the hinge lug, and all pressure on the lug released, thereby allowing the hinge pintle l3 to be readily removed.

Not only does the particular construction of the plunger and spring retaining cup member facilitate removal of the hood from the journal box, but it also provides complete protection for the relatively movable surfaces of the plunger and cup member from the weather. The parts may be readily lubricated if desired, and thus there will be no danger of the plunger becoming corroded and sticking in the cup member.

It will be readily apparent that the above described device is susceptible of many variations, and consequently, I desire to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A journal box and aremovable lid therefor comprising, in combination, a hinge lug on the journal box, a journal box cover, a hood secured thereto, a pintle pivotally connecting the hood to the hinge lug, said hood having a cup member connected at its open end to the hood and extending outwardly therefrom, a plunger telescopically received in said cup member, a coil spring in said cup member normally urging said plunger against said hinge lug, and U-shaped means engaging the face of the hood opposite the lug and the end of the plunger adjacent the lug for holding the plunger away from the lug whereby the lid may be readily removed and replaced on said journal box.

2. A journal box and a removable lid therefor comprising, in combination, a hinge lug on the journal box, a journal box cover, a hood secured thereto, a pintle pivotally connecting the hood to the hinge lug, said hood having a cup member connected at its open end to the hood and extending outwardly therefrom, a plunger telescopically received in said cup member, a coil spring in said cup member normally urging said plunger against said hinge lug, and means engaging the face of the hood opposite the lug and the end of the plunger adjacent the lug for holding the plunger away from the lug whereby the lid may be readily removed and replaced on said journal box.

3. In combination, a journal box, a hinge lug on the journal box, a lid for the journal box, a pintle pivotally connecting the lid to the hinge lug, a spring assembly on the lid having a surface adapted to resiliently bear against the hinge lug, and means engaging said surface and the face of the lid remote from the lug for holding said spring assembly away from the lug whereby the lid may be readily removed from and replaced on said journal box.

4. In combination, a journal box, a hinge lug on the journal box, a lid for the journal box, a pintle pivotally connecting the lid to the hinge lug, a spring housing on said lid, a plunger having a portion thereof telescopically received in said housing and a surface adapted to bear against said lug, a spring in said housing normally urging said plunger against said hinge lug, and means engaging said surface and the face of the lid remote from the lug for holding the plunger away from the lug whereby the lid may be readily removed from and replaced on said journal box.

5. In combination, a journal box, a hinge lug on the journal box, a lid for the journal box, a. pintle pivotally connecting the lid to the hinge lug, a spring assembly on the lid having a surface adapted to resiliently bear against the hinge lug, and U-shaped means engaging said surface and the face of the lid remote from the lug for holding said spring assembly away from the lug whereby the lid may be readily removed from and replaced on said journal box.

HARRY J. HORN. 

